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An Irish Welcome

Céad Míle Fáilte friend and rover ... Wherever you come from and whosoever you may be.That's an Irish greeting and it means you are welcome a thousand times over.

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Concerning Holy Communion

"For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me" (John 6:55-57).

It is par excellence, the Sacrament of our faith - a Divine mystery ...

With baptism, we have water.

With Unction, we have oil.

The water is sanctified but water, nonetheless.

The oil is sanctified but oil, nonetheless.

In Divine Communion

we see bread

we taste bread

but

We eat Christ.

it is not bread it is Flesh.

In Divine Communion

we see wine

we taste wine

but

We drink Christ

It is not wine it is Blood.

Why is it the par excellence of our faith?

All of our senses are challenged ...

Holy Communion is medicine it is not a reward.

St John Cassian says:

We must not remove ourselves from Communion of the Lord on the grounds that we recognize ourselves to be sinners. Rather, we should come to It more and more often, thirsting after the healing of the soul and cleansing of the spirit, but with such humility of soul and faith that. Considering ourselves unworthy of receiving such grace, we might yearn for greater treatment of our wounds. With the humility of heart with which we believe and confess that we can never worthily come into contact with the Holy Mysteries, we may receive them on every Sunday unto healing of our illnesses, lest, by exalting ourselves through a vain confident heart, we believe that after the lapse of a year we are worthy of receiving it.